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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23082355">He's a riot</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovecorevillain/pseuds/lovecorevillain'>lovecorevillain</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Akira (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>??? is that what u call it lmao, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Character Study, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, KANNY! TETS!, M/M, Nicknames, Pining, Post-Canon, Smoking, akira au where nobody died and tetsuo came back somehow. don't ask how, it's not even pining they're straight up in love and tetsuo's just a moron, mentioned vomiting, ngl idk what else to tag this as kanetetsu rights or something, oh yeah uhm flushed emoji haven't read the manga so woops sorry 4 any possible brainfucks, they're the definition of dating but not knowing they are themselves, very little angst but it's there, yamagata kei and kaisuke are only mentioned</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 11:07:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,594</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23082355</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovecorevillain/pseuds/lovecorevillain</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Just before the shadows of the night city engulf him, Tetsuo manages to catch a glimpse of Kaneda, who's looking right back at him. He sees a million different emotions reflected from the man's eyes. Kindness, bravery, recklessness and something Tetsuo can't even put into words. "<br/> </p><p>"Eyes on the road."</p><p>(see tags for content warnings)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kaneda Shoutarou/Shima Tetsuo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>86</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>He's a riot</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Three in the morning. 3 AM. That's what the cafes' bright neon signs declare. Neo Tokyo's streets are emptier and quieter at this time of the night. Well, if you don't count the loud, and to a degree, ear-bleeding growls that resonate from the two motorbikes that glide swiftly through the aforementioned streets. </p><p><em> 'Motorbikes are like lawnmowers but more majestic and not as fatal if you happen to be standing in front of one', </em>Tetsuo always says, more often than not earning a few snorts and a giggle from Kaneda. </p><p><em> "Keep your eyes on the road, dumbass!" </em>Kaneda automatically barks back.</p><p> </p><p>- - - </p><p> </p><p>The route Kaneda and Tetsuo take home on the daily is never this lifeless, <em> 'guess tonight's a special occasion!' </em>, is what Kaneda yells as the duo runs a red light and Tetsuo can't help but agree. </p><p> </p><p>It's like Neo Tokyo has stopped moving, just to give Tetsuo and Kaneda some much needed time. Time's all they need, actually. Also patience, but patience a foreign word to both of them, while impatience has been a shared character trait for as long as they can remember.</p><p>Tetsuo's head is spinning out of sheer joy (and possibly due to the pills he took before they left). He's ecstatic, he's happy that the nightly car horn honks and blaring sirens are nowhere to be heard tonight. He got what he wanted for once. And you can get almost anything you want in life, with or without force, that's what Tetsuo has learned the hard way over the years. He feels a punch of jealousy in his stomach as he reminds himself of how easy Kaneda's life has been compared to his. They're from two different worlds, perfect foils to each other, yet fit together like a glove. </p><p> </p><p>Tetsuo takes what he gets and calls it a day, he's still just as -- if not more -- adventurous and reckless than Kaneda, but things have changed after a few unfortunate events and the thousand-something motorbike accidents he's gotten into. It took nearly all of his willpower to get where he is now, but Tetsuo has learned how to tone things down a bit. In the past, his self-destructive habits and thoughts used to eat him up daily, and to this day, he tries his best to keep them under control. He really does. </p><p> </p><p>Kaneda, on the other hand, is always moving forward, it's like he can't slow down once he's started. He does what he does just for the hell of it, for the adrenaline, to earn a few much-needed strokes to his already massive ego, nothing more to it. He's still a realist at heart, but far too confident in his mediocre abilities. Confidence, how much confidence can one person even have? Kaneda's such a humane and balanced person at the end of the day, it almost hurts. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> The point is, that he's nothing like Tetsuo.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Tetsuo wants to be like him. Another thing that will never change. If there's one person Tetsuo has looked up to all his life, it's Kaneda. He's never wanted something and <em> someone </em> so bad. </p><p>Sure, he and Kaneda drifted apart some time ago, but it wasn't permanent by any means. They're still reconstructing what they used to be to this day. Time heals all wounds. However, moving into a small, cramped apartment together a few years ago probably wasn't the best problem solver, but Tetsuo would be lying if he said that they haven't grown insanely close in the process.</p><p> </p><p>Oh, how many times Kaneda has patiently held his hair up while he's vomiting his guts out, totally out of it and on the verge of dying.</p><p>How many times they've stayed up late together, slouched over on their couch that has seen better days, talking about things that mean nothing until the sun rises and snaps both of them out of whatever trauma they're working through at the moment.</p><p>How many times Tetsuo has wound up in Kaneda's arms, <em> and he quotes Kaneda; </em>sobbing like a little baby. </p><p> </p><p>Kaneda's still a huge pain in the ass every now and then, but the truth is that there's no one else out there that Tetsuo can be so vulnerable and… <em> human </em> around. </p><p> </p><p>He doesn't know what Kaneda is to him, it's always kind of been like that. Many (including Kai and Yamagata of all people) have questioned the nature of their relationship before, yet both he and Kaneda always react with a dismissive attitude. Tetsuo knows for a fact that Kaneda loves him, after all, it was the first thing he told Tetsuo after the two of them reunited. </p><p>
  <b> <em>"I'm glad you're alive and kicking Tets. </em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>I love you, man."</em></b>
</p><p>It's the first and definitely the most impactful 'I love you' Tetsuo has ever heard from Kaneda.</p><p>He loves Kaneda too. How could he not. Not in the same way that Kaneda loves Kei, though. '<em> She's a close friend and nothing more', </em>Tetsuo quotes Kaneda yet again. Though it always hasn't exactly been that way, their relationship is strictly platonic and Kaneda has made it clear time and time again. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Platonic.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Tetsuo might be bad at reading both Kaneda's <em> and </em> his own feelings, but he knows without a doubt that their relationship is <em> everything but platonic</em>.</p><p>- - - </p><p>Tetsuo should probably keep his eyes on the road as they speed through the city on their bikes, but it's Kaneda's fault for looking at him <em> like that </em> from time to time, his eyes full of warmth, strangely resembling the look he gives when he's scolding or bossing Tetsuo around. It's actually oddly reassuring to someone like Tetsuo, who's never been sure about anything in his life. Reassuring that at least one person's got your back at all times. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Right, eyes on the road, keep your head clear. </em>
</p><p>Kaneda's familiar words echo inside his head. Tetsuo's heart is beating way too fast now and it's not just the adrenaline. Kaneda's a thousand times better than any kind of high or even the most numbing pill, he's indescribable. Just before the shadows of the night city engulf him, Tetsuo manages to catch a glimpse of Kaneda, who's looking right back at him. He sees a million different emotions reflected from the man's eyes. Kindness, bravery, recklessness and something Tetsuo can't even put into words. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Eyes on the road.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>- - -</p><p>Soon enough, the two of them stop to take a breather at a nearby parking lot that smells like petrol and dust. It's raw and unfiltered, just what they're used to. According to Yamagata, the smell of dust can stick to your clothing, but Tetsuo's a bit skeptical, dust doesn't even smell like anything. He laughs quietly. </p><p> </p><p>Tetsuo suddenly feels a hand comb his messy strands of hair, doing him a silent favor and moving them from his sweat-glistened forehead. Tetsuo's breath gets caught up in his throat but of course he can't show it. He never does.  After catching his breath, Tetsuo seems to finally notice the tender brown eyes that examine him carefully, plus the soft yet ever so cocky smile that's targeted towards him, and him only. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> 'You're going to be the death of me.' </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Tetsuo furrows his brows in frustration, sheepishly looking up at the taller man, who has decided to sit beside him on his bike. Tetsuo's now <em> certain </em> that Kaneda is out to kill him, why else would he be doing this? It doesn't feel real. It <em> should </em> feel real. </p><p> </p><p>A raspy-sounding "Kanny." escapes Tetsuo's dry lips, almost involuntarily. </p><p> </p><p>"Tets." </p><p> </p><p>The response is always the same. It's like an entire language of their own, the childhood nicknames they've incorporated into their adolescence and also a familiar back-and-forth joke that has evolved into something more over the years. They've changed so much, together and by themselves. </p><p>The comfortable silence is broken by Kaneda, as he lights a cigarette. Tetsuo follows the leader, just like always. They trade cigarettes a few times, it's just another back-and-forth joke that isn't that much of a joke anymore. Tetsuo swears he can taste Kaneda as he takes a puff of the cigarette given to him. He also makes a mental note to slap himself later, as he has sworn <em>multiple</em> <em>times </em>he'd quit smoking in a few months and here he still is, <em>smoking</em>.</p><p>He lets out a sigh and watches the cloud of smoke change its form lazily. It'll be a piece of cake. It's not the smoking he cares about anyways.</p><p>'<em>Kaneda.'</em> Tetsuo thinks. <em>'It's Kaneda. It's always Kaneda.'</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He's shivering. Tetsuo is shivering. That's what snaps him out of his Kaneda-centered thoughts. Tetsuo doesn't know how long they've been here, but he's <em> freezing. </em>Kaneda, who has apparently been leaning on him this whole time, senses it too. In less than a second, he manages to run over to his own bike that's close by and grab a red jacket that's a perfect copy of his own. Tetsuo's eyes widen as he quickly connects the dots. </p><p> </p><p>"Ka… neda? I..is that?" The younger man's voice trembles and borders on inaudible as the jacket's warmth begins to heat him up slowly. </p><p>Kaneda pats Tetsuo on the head, causing his dark brown hair to flail wildly. "I knew someone as frail and tiny as you wouldn't make it back without a little help from yours truly. You can thank me later!" </p><p> </p><p>Kaneda's shit-eating grin and obviously negative remarks poke at Tetsuo's self-esteem a little more than they should, but the quick kiss that Kaneda presses to the corner of the biker's mouth is enough to shut him up for good. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>kanetetsu stans wake up i brought your food</p><p>tetsuo be like head empty kaneda thoughts (i'm tetsuo)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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